


Cupid’s Arrows

by Waterfall



Series: King of Fortune and Queen of Destiny [2]
Category: Hermitcraft RPF
Genre: Cross-Posted on Tumblr, F/M, Friendly competition, Graphic kissing, actual bare skin, should I even warn for that?, tension at targét
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-29
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:14:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26719630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Waterfall/pseuds/Waterfall
Summary: When Cub invited False over to try out his latest target game she didn't expect things to get quite so... intense.
Relationships: Cubfan135/FalseSymmetry
Series: King of Fortune and Queen of Destiny [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1944562
Comments: 10
Kudos: 21
Collections: Froday Flash Fiction Little & Monthly Specials 2020, Froday Flash Fiction Regular Challenges 2018, Froday Flash Fiction Regular Challenges 2020





	1. Open Sesame

**Author's Note:**

> **FFFC 100th Special Challenge Table A:** 75 – mouth  
>  **FFFC Regular Challenge:** 20.15 - Motivation 
> 
> **A/N:** Cub/False is now officially a thing for me. It started with Swords Crossed and _that_ picture, and then the two of them just… kept competing over at Cub’s pyramid and it became impossible for me not to get fic ideas. This fic jumped ahead on my list after the latest MCC, which gave me such delicious ideas – none of whom will make sense unless I write this first. And I had just as much fun as I thought I would writing this, too!

False had always been competitive, and when Cub started creating target games at his pyramid she had jumped at the chance to try them out. Ever since the Head Games she had been longing for a rematch, and from the half-teasing, half-challenging look on his face when he invited her over she knew that Cub felt the same way.

At the moment they were chatting casually as they stretched, taking care to warm up their muscles before starting.  
“So, what do I get if I win?” she teased, having heard about the prize he’d given out at the inauguration of his first game. He must have realized where her thoughts were going because he laughed and shook his head.  
“Not netherite, at least. I’m still broke after the last competition!” He gazed thoughtfully at the pyramid wall. “How about a mooshroom? I do have a few of those outside.”  
False, in the middle of a leg stretch, almost fell over as she started giggling.  
“What would I want with a mooshroom?”  
“Free mushroom stew?” Cub suggested with a grin.  
“I’m not exactly Ren you know!”  
“Really?” He looked at her, squinting his eyes and exaggerating his expression. “I never would have noticed.”  
Still giggling, False struck a pose.  
“Ladies, get in line,” she quoted. Cub shook his head.  
“No ladies here, just a slightly broke pharaoh.”  
Still mimicking Ren, she pretended to look at him over a pair of sunglasses and smiled teasingly.  
“Gentlemen, get in line, then.”  
“Where do you want me to stand?”  
The reply came without hesitation, and she forgot what she wanted to say next. She could feel the heat creeping into her cheeks, and stammered out,  
“Uh, right here is fine.”  
His gaze turned piercing, and she knew that he could see the blush spreading on her face. He looked completely unbothered, damn him, if you didn’t know him well enough to notice the minute changes to his eyes and body. False did know him that well, both from many years of friendship and from her embarrassing tendency to watch the man whenever he was around. His easy-going confidence had always appealed to her and it didn’t hurt that she also found him attractive. She’d never acted on it though, having never noticed any interest from him in return.  
_At least, not until the Head Games_ , her brain helpfully supplied. Their battle on the roof of the Nether had been… intense, and thinking back on it she was never really sure if their words had been friendly banter or an attempt at flirting. Now that uncertainty returned with a vengeance.  
“You know, I can think of one prize I want,” Cub told her casually, still keeping eye contact. “You might want something different though.”  
“What would that be?” She forced calm into her voice, ruthlessly squashing any disappointment as they returned to the earlier subject.  
“A kiss.”  
The heat was back, and it had brought friends.  
“I’m – I’m okay with that.”  
His eyes turned scorching, sending a shockwave through her body.  
“Good.”

Prize agreed on and False, at least, feeling thoroughly warmed up, they made their way to the game. She was grateful that Cub had already explained the rules to her earlier, because she was in no condition to focus as he explained them again. He still appeared completely unruffled, but when their hands brushed each other over the arrows he jerked as if struck by lightning. False couldn’t stop the slow smile spreading on her face as she deliberately trailed her fingers over the back of his hand on her way to grab a bow. Swiftly, he grabbed her hand in his.  
“Behave,” he chided gruffly, and her smile grew bigger.  
“And lose my advantage? I’m going to win this, you know.” Before he could retort she leaned forward and picked a bow from the chest, brushing her lips against his bearded cheek in passing. “Now hurry up,” she whispered, and retreated to the first iron door. He cleared his throat and started the game.  
“You haven’t won yet.”  
Any competition got her adrenalin racing, but this one had the blood boiling in her veins from the very first arrow. She breathed deeply and tried to still her mind, almost painfully aware of her competitor in the other hallway. A muffled oath as he missed his first shot told her that she wasn’t the only one in this situation, and she let that thought bolster her as she finally found her focus and started shooting in earnest.

The game was close, but not close enough. They met back up at the starting area to put away their weapons, both of them laughing.  
“Just a little longer and I would have had you,” she declared, mock-shaking her finger at him. He shook his head, arrogant certainty in his eyes.  
“You’ll need a bit more practice first I think, I had the advantage the whole way.”  
She narrowed her eyes.  
“Next time, then.”  
“Next time,” he agreed easily. Then he stepped closer, and False once again became quiet as she noticed the look on his face. “But now I want my prize.” His voice dropped low, going straight to her gut. She tilted her head up as she moved into him, still unable to let go of a challenge.  
“Take it, then.”  
His lips found hers in an instant, a soft glide that promised more – but only if she let him. She parted her mouth with a faint sigh and he took the offer, tongue twining with her own. His strong hands curled around her waist, and she gripped his upper arms in return as they kept going. Her head was swimming. She didn’t want to stop. But this was the most exciting game she’d ever played, and she wanted the upper hand, too. 

When they parted for breath she stepped back, his hands reluctantly releasing her. He tilted his head, questions in his eyes.  
“Going so soon?”  
Her smile was wicked, but softened at the sight of him.  
“There won’t be anything left for _my_ prize, otherwise,” she explained. Understanding dawned, and his lips tugged upward.  
“Raising the stakes, I see.” Still moving backwards, if only to fight the temptation of throwing herself into his arms, she nodded. He huffed out a slightly frustrated laugh. “I’ve always liked that about you. Now… I’m not so sure.”  
“Don’t take too long with your next game,” she demanded, inwardly agreeing with him. But thoughts of _next time_ were already dancing in her mind, and she could see that Cub, too, was thinking about the challenge, the battle, and the reward to come. His eyes burned into her and he gave her a predatory smile.  
“Believe me… I won’t.”


	2. Cinnabun Pong

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **FFFC Regular Challenge:** 18.24 – Slippery 
> 
> **A/N** Chapter two, yay! This is a bit more intense than the first chapter, although probably still quite tame by most standards. For me this is actually seriously pushing my limits, as I have never written anything remotely like smut before (at least not anything I ever considered posting)! On that note, concrit is extremely welcome although any comments will make me happy.

The next time False went to Cub’s gaming area it was with very different expectations than before their first competition. Cub had been taking his sweet time with this two-player game and there were times when she’d thought that the whole thing had been a one-off, a mistake made in the heat of the moment. But that thought was chased away every time they encountered each other and she could see the way his eyes travelled down to her mouth as they spoke. As for her, she couldn’t help gazing at his muscled chest and wonder how it would feel to her touch. She had never imagined to get such a thrill out of nothing more than everyday encounters, but without even talking about it the two of them had turned the whole thing into a game of its own – especially around the other Hermits. Innocent touches and veiled comments passed between them as sword blows in a battle, and she _loved_ it. But now that it was finally time to try out the next game she felt nervous and worried, still half-convinced that it was all some kind of misunderstanding.  
“Did you make a skating rink?” she blurted when she saw the new build, not even remembering to say hello. But Cub just laughed, his eyes warming at the sight of her.  
“Not really, not really,” he replied in his usual easy-going way. “But there may be some sliding involved.”   
He started explaining as they walked onto the ice, only to break off and grab her arm as she staggered, her legs sliding out from under her.   
“Whoa!” Wobbling, she held on to his shoulders for support, her body suddenly close to his. They both froze, and she could hear his breath speed up as treacherous heat crept into her cheeks.  
“There we go,” Cub said softly, the grip of his hand changing to a caress. “I’ve got you.”  
Several replies went through her head, but her stupid mouth acted without input from her brain and spilled what had been on her mind ever since she got his message last night.  
“I’ve been thinking about what my prize should be – when I win, that is.”   
His head cocked to the side, and his lips tilted in a slow grin.  
“Really? You’re being awfully confident.”   
She matched his smile with her own, feeling something predatory come into her eyes.  
“Is there any other way to be?”   
There was that fire she remembered so well from last time, spilling into his gaze.  
“I guess not.” The hand not holding on to her arm slid around her waist, and her breath caught. “As it happens, I’ve decided on a prize as well. I –”   
Before he could continue, she impulsively placed her fingers on his lips, silencing him.   
“Why don’t you show me after? Leave the prizes a surprise, for now.”   
She couldn’t explain why, but the thought of saying how much she wanted to touch him suddenly seemed like an insurmountable embarrassment, no matter how eager she had been to blurt it out a moment ago.  
“Are you sure?” he asked, faint worry in his voice. “I don’t want to ask for something you don’t want to give.”  
“I doubt that will be a problem.” Deliberately, she locked her eyes with his, not retreating even as the blush spread across her face and down her throat. He drew in a sharp breath, his hand tightening around her waist and she was suddenly very aware of her fingers resting on the corner of his mouth.  
“All right, then.”  
Without further ado he let go and stepped back, leaving her to find her balance as he launched back into his interrupted explanation. She gaped for a moment before letting out an amused huff when she noticed how badly he was failing to keep the laughter out of his voice. They did have a game to playtest, after all.

Despite the earlier tension this game was more relaxed than the last one. It probably helped that Cub’s life-sized take on pong was more luck-based than his previous target games, so they both had time to joke and banter as they spammed snowballs back and forth. By the end of it False had snow in her hair, boots, and even down her neck, as well as several small bruises from slipping on the ice. Cub wasn’t fairing much better, despite being more familiar with the treacherous footing, and there was an almost intact snowball lodged in his headgear. Of course he won, False had never really expected anything else seeing as this was his creation, but she was still pleased with how close the points were towards the finish.   
“So perhaps some kind of snowball-gathering break in the middle…” Cub suggested, based on her feedback. They were well into the post-game analysis now, but False was a little distracted by the snow under her shirt and began pulling her jacket off to see if that would help her get to it. She didn’t think anything of it at first when Cub went silent, but she definitely noticed when he began walking towards her, his steps slow and deliberate on the slippery ice. Her movements paused when she caught the look on his face, and she could only clutch her jacket between suddenly weak fingers.  
“Let me help you with that,” he said, voice low. All she could do was nod, and he reached out to cover her hands with his larger ones. Now it was his turn to lock their eyes together as he slowly eased her jacket over her shoulders and down her arms, the warmth of his touch yielding to the cold air rising from the ice. The jacket dropped to the ground and he retraced his path, caressing her arms with a light touch. “Better now?”  
“There’s still snow under my shirt,” she whispered, grabbing her trousers with both hands to resist stripping it off herself. The delighted, almost shy smile Cub gave her was ample reward for her self-restraint as he trailed his fingers over her throat to the first button.  
“How did you guess what I wanted for my prize?” he asked, making her shiver as he deftly opened the top of her shirt.  
“Because it’s the same thing I wanted,” she answered, finally giving in to the temptation and brushing her fingers over his bare abdomen. He was warm, despite the cold air, and she could feel his muscles tense under her touch. With a choked sound he leant forward and captured her mouth and she surged into him, her tongue battling with his as if they were still playing for points. She could feel the snow melting and running down her back, before being wiped away as Cub finished unbuttoning her shirt and caressed the skin underneath it. In return she rubbed her palms over his chest, coaxing a soft growl from him as he pulled her body flush with his. The feeling made her gasp, and this time he was the one to pull away from their kiss.  
“Better now?”  
Humour mingled with the arousal in his voice, and she laughed huskily.   
“Definitely.”  
They stood still for a moment in comfortable silence, content for the moment to simply look at each other. Cub gazed down at her, drinking in the sight of her exposed upper body only covered by a bra, his hands loosely splayed across her back. Despite finally being able to explore his chest False was captivated instead by the look on his face, the almost awed expression setting her midsection fluttering with butterflies. Tension built in the air around them, and so did the feeling of anticipation… until Cub suddenly spluttered, his hand flying to his face.  
“Gah! Damn snow!”  
He wiped away the water from his eyes, but more was running down from his now thoroughly soaked headcloth. Realising what had happened, False burst out laughing.  
“Your snowball melted!”  
“What?” Blinking, he patted the top of his head with his other hand, swaying dangerously as his foot slid on the ice. She moved her hands to his sides, holding him steady as he removed the offending headgear.  
“You had a whole snowball up there, didn’t you notice?”  
“…no?” His voice sounded so offended that she gave up completely, leaning her head against his chest as she kept giggling. With a huff he pulled her up and turned her towards the exit. “Come on, let’s get out of here before we both freeze to death.”  
Still laughing she grabbed her jacket and let him lead her out, only a little disappointed at the interruption. It really _was_ getting cold in here, after all.


End file.
